Sen. Moran Statement on Investments to Advance U.S. Space Exploration

Press Release

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (Kan.) -- the lead Republican on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), and Related Agencies -- released the following statement regarding the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funding levels within the FY2022 Appropriations Package:

"This bill reflects my commitment to accelerate NASA's missions and cement America's leadership in space exploration. Since the creation of the Artemis program, I have worked to lay the foundation to return American astronauts to the Moon, and I'm pleased this legislation advances this goal by supporting each key element of the Artemis program.

"The legislation also continues to invest in NASA's STEM education programs, critical science missions and aeronautic research. Thank you to Sen. Shaheen for her strong partnership in crafting a bipartisan bill that includes investments across multiple arenas and prioritizes the important work at NASA and their commercial partners."

Sen. Moran helped secure $24 billion for NASA. This is an increase of $770 million over the FY2021 enacted level.

Sen. Moran Priorities Included in the FY2021 Appropriations Package for NASA:

An increase of $236 million for human exploration activities related to returning U.S. astronauts to the Moon
$2.6 billion for the Space Launch System (SLS) - $14 million above FY2021
$1.195 billion for lunar landing systems to enable the selection of the landers that will take astronauts to the surface of the Moon - $345 million above FY2021
$137 million for NASA's STEM education programs - $10 million above FY2021
$881 million for Aeronautics programs, research and X-plane development
$7.6 billion for ongoing science missions

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